“What the hell do you got that I don’t? You’re a virgin who wears Harry Potter gear, for god’s sake.”
“What did you say?”
She continues talking with her arms, and legs splayed out on the bed. Just because high doesn’t mean she’s not coherent. So I ask her to repeat herself.
“Say that again.”
“I never told you about the huge party in the Panther Center I went to freshman year.”
“You told me that you didn’t go to that. I thought you and I went to the same parties that year together.”
“Wrong!” she blurts out, then starts giggling. “I went without you. I thought you were the reason I wasn’t having any luck with the other ones.”
“You’re high, Kia. Let’s not have this conversation now.”
“No, let’s have it. I want you to know the truth. I thought you were holding me back, so I went with some girls I met in the cafeteria. We got super drunk before we even got there and I thought they were cool, but they disappeared at some point in the night. They left me there.”
“Did something happen to you there?”
“I met someone. I met this super hot guy who I thought was as into me as I was into him. He was a freshman too.”
“You never told me about him. He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“Not in the way you mean. Do we have any snacks in here?”
“We have some potato chips in the large Tupperware bin.”
I hand them to her and I also grab her a bottled water. I’m running late at this point but I don’t want to abandon her when she’s mid story. I’m worried that Kia may have been assaulted, and I didn’t even know about it.
“Mmm, these are good.”
“Sit up or you’re going to choke.”
She tries propping herself up against the wall.
“Continue your story. You said he didn’t hurt you in the way, I mean.”
“Oh, right, back to the story. He was having a lot of fun. We played beer pong for half the night and made out the other half. I remember wanting to dance with him, but he promised we’d do it at the next party. He was way too wasted, he said.”
“Did you stay in touch?”
“That’s the thing, Willow. We never exchanged numbers, but I didn’t think we had to. I knew I’d see him again, and I’d get it then.”
“But you didn’t see him?”
“I saw him the next day and the day after that, but he didn’t remember me. Ain’t that fucked up?”
I don’t respond because I can imagine how horrible she must have felt that she’s held this story in for so long. This guy hurt her feelings really badly. What a dick.
“He walked right by me like I was garbage.”
“I’m sorry, Kia. You have every right to hate that loser.”
“That’s the sick thing, girl. You’d think I’d hate him, right? But I don’t. If anything, it only made me want him more. Kind of how you are with Aaron, or how you used to be with Aaron.”
“It’s his loss. We’re giving whoever it is way too much energy to be even talking about him.”
“I can’t help but give it energy because he’s always around sniffing behind your average ass!”
